The invention relates to a male connector having a terminal for being connected to a female connector having a terminal. The female connector includes a female connector housing with a first longitudinal axis and with a receiving chamber which is enclosed by a wall. The receiving chamber is open towards an end face of the female connector housing and, at the end remote from the open end face has a closed bottom. The female connector housing is associated with first terminals which project into the receiving chamber from the bottom so as to extend parallel to the first longitudinal axis. On the outer face of the wall enclosing the receiving chamber, there is projectingly arranged an engaging lug which comprises a stop face rising from the end face to the bottom so as to extend away from the outer face and which, towards the bottom, is provided with an engaging face extending towards the outer face.
EP 0 896 396 A2 describes a connecting assembly which comprises a female connector and a male connector. The female connector comprises a female connector housing and a receiving chamber enclosed by a wall. The receiving chamber opens to-wards an end face of the female connector housing and, at the end remote therefrom, is closed by a bottom. The female connector comprises a first longitudinal axis which defines a connecting direction. The female connector housing is associated with first terminals which are aligned so as to extend parallel to the first longitudinal axis and which project from the bottom into the receiving chamber. On the outer face of the wall enclosing the receiving chamber, there is projectingly arranged an engaging lug. The male connector is associated with a resiliently deflectable locking arm which can be locked by a slide when it is in the locking position, thus preventing a deflection of the locking arm from the untensioned position. The slide is associated with pressure springs which, at their ends not supported on the slide, are connected to one another by a cross arm. The locking arm comprises an inclined face which, while the male connector is inserted into the female connector, stops against the engaging lug, with the slide being in a position in which its locking face is not in contact with the locking arm. For this purpose, the locking arm is held by retaining means in a temporary position. When the male connector is inserted into the female connector, not only the locking arm with its hook-like projection stops against the engaging lug, but also the cross arm connecting the two pressure springs to one another comes to rest against the end face of the female connector. When the male connector is introduced further, the springs are pretensioned. The hook-like locking element of the locking arm slides over the engaging lug. At this stage, the locking arm has reached a position in which its locking face is able to engage behind the engaging lug. In the process, the effect of the pressure springs is also released, i.e. the retaining means release the slide, so that the latter, due to the effect of the springs, is displaced away from the engaging lug, as a result of which the locking face of the slide moves across the locking arm and se-cures same in its engaged position against being deflected. The retaining means, too, are returned into their original position, so that the load on the springs is also released. For releasing purposes, the slide has to be displaced in the direction opposed to the releasing direction of the male connector at the female connector, so that the locking arm is re-leased. To ensure a sufficiently large contact face for supporting the pressure springs, the female connector housing is provided with ribs which are arranged on the line of extension of the pressure springs, i.e. they extend parallel relative to one another in the connecting direction; they start from the end face of the female connector and extend as far as the engaging lug.
For releasing purposes, the slide is first displaced towards the female connector until the locking arm is released. The pressure springs are partially pretensioned and the retaining means secure the slide in said position. In this position, an unlocking portion of the slide can be acted upon, i.e. pressure can be exerted on same, as a result of which said portion acts on a locking arm projection positioned underneath. As the locking arm is suspended rocker-like, the hook-like projection is disengaged from the engaging lug at the female connector. If the male connector is now pulled, it can be separated from the female connector. This involves a complicated type of handling and especially in those cases where a safe mode of operation is required, there is a need for additional measures in the form of providing the ribs at the female connector in order to achieve secure support for the pressure springs which load the slide. Furthermore, handling is disadvantageous in that when releasing the male connector from the female connector, the slide first has to be moved against the releasing direction in order to transfer same into a position wherein, via the actuating portion associated with the slide, a force is applied to the locking arm in the sense of releasing same from the engaging lug of the female connector. At the same time, it is necessary to pull the male connector in order to release same from the female connector.
DE 198 28 968 A1 concerns a connector assembly having a female connector and a male connector, wherein the female connector is associated with a leaf-spring-like retaining element which, at the same time, serves as a short circuit bridge for the contacts of the female connector. The retaining element comprises two engaging arms which each come into contact with a projection of the male connector and, in the course of connection, undergo deformation, so that the projections are able to move across a kink in the engaging arm, thus permitting renewed resilience, so that the male connector is secured in the female connector. Furthermore, there are provided terminal arms which, in the unconnected condition of the male connector and female connector, are connected to the terminals of the female connector and form part of the retaining element which is produced from metal and is thus electrically conducting. In the unconnected condition, there thus occurs short-circuiting between the terminals via the terminal arms. When the male connector is inserted, said terminal arms are moved out of contact with the terminals of the female connector.
DE 100 52 970 A1 describes a connector assembly which comprises a female connector and a male connector, wherein the male connector is associated with a slide which is formed so as to be integral with a pressure spring and which, in the course of being connected, is first pretensioned and generates a sliding-out force for as long as the final state of connection has not yet been achieved. Furthermore, in the connected condition, the slide acts as a retaining element. The resilient portion provided in the form of a pressure spring comprises a leaf-spring-like portion which is bent like a snake.
EP 1 089 393 A1 concerns a female connector which is provided with a receiving chamber enclosed by a wall and into which a male connector can be inserted. To achieve a waterproof assembly, the male connector, on its portion entering the receiving chamber of the female connector, is provided with a seal which establishes contact with the inner face of the receiving chamber. The cross-section of the male connector portion entering the receiving chamber of the female connector is tapered as compared to the male connector portion which is set back relative thereto.
It is the object of the invention to provide a male connector for a standard female connector, i.e. a female connector comprising only one engaging lug. The male connector is easy to handle and, as long as the final connection has not yet taken place, generates a force which releases the male connector from the female connector.
The objective is achieved by providing a male connector comprising
a male connector housing having a second longitudinal axis,
which, with the second longitudinal axis extending parallel relative to the first longitudinal axis of the female connector, comprises a first housing portion insertable into the receiving chamber and having an end face from which there are accessible second terminals matching the first terminals and serving to be connected to same,
the male connector housing further comprising a resiliently deflectable locking arm with engaging means, wherein the locking arm, by means of its end remote from the engaging means, is integrally connected to the first housing portion or to a intermediate housing portion formed so as to be integral with the first housing portion and, in the untensioned condition, extends parallel to the second longitudinal axis and wherein, in the transverse direction relative to the longitudinal axis, the locking arm is arranged at a distance from the first housing portion, with the engaging means of the locking arm, when being connected to the female connector housing, being positioned opposite the engaging lug, and
which further comprises a releasing face which is positioned near the end of the locking arm remote from the engaging means and which away from the engaging means diverges from the second longitudinal axis,
a slide
which is held on the outside of the male connector housing so as to be adjustable to a limited extent along the second longitudinal axis,
which, in the locked position, prevents the locking arm from being deflected from the untensioned condition and releases same in a position deviating therefrom,
at least one pressure spring
which, in parallel to the second longitudinal axis, is supported on the male connector housing on the one hand and on the slide on the other hand and loads the slide towards assuming its locking position, and
a leaf-spring-like retaining element made of steel
which is fixed to the slide by means of a fixing portion and, starting therefrom, comprises at least one spring arm which is resilient transversely to the second longitudinal axis and which comprises an adjoining retaining face and a setting face at its end remote from the fixing portion, with the retaining face serving to contact the end face of the female connector housing when the spring arm is in the untensioned condition, which retaining face can be moved out of contact with the end face by causing the setting face to move onto the releasing face of the male connector housing.
The advantage of this embodiment is that the male connector can be used in connection with standard female connectors comprising only one engaging lug, so that, without having to modify same, it is ensured that the male connector is separated from the female connector as long as the final locking position has not been reached. Furthermore, handling is simplified in that, in the course of the connecting procedure, only the male connector housing is acted upon in that it is moved relative to the female connector housing, i.e. towards the bottom of same. For finally securing the locking arm, the slide is released automatically as a function of the position of the male connector housing relative to the female connector housing in that the leaf-spring-like retaining element is disengaged from the end face of the female connector housing, as a result of which the force of the pressure springs effective between the male connector housing and the slide is released. The slide is displaced relative to the female connector housing and male connector housing in such a way that the locking arm is secured to prevent displacement into the unlocked position. Said position is easy to abolish in that, in order to release the male connector from the female connector, the slide has to be acted upon in the releasing direction only.
According to a further embodiment, it is proposed that the locking arm is frame-like having two longitudinal struts, that the retaining element is arranged between the two longitudinal struts of the locking arm and that the engaging means form part of a transversely extending engaging strut which connects the free ends of the longitudinal struts.
In order to ensure that the locking arm is positively released from engaging the engaging lug, it is proposed that the slide comprises at least one releasing projection which, in the sense of releasing the engaging means from the engaging lug, act on the locking arm when the female connector is released from the male connector by displacing the slide.
As, in the final locked condition between the male connector and the female connector, the steel retaining element is resiliently deflected from its normal position, i.e. as long as the female connector and male connector are connected to one another, said retaining element is tensioned, it is advantageous for the retaining element to consist of high-grade steel.
In a preferred embodiment, the fixing portion of the retaining element is bent to form a spring arm, in particular, it is bent to be u-shaped, and comprises an engaging arm. The retaining element, together with the fixing portion and the associated engaging arm, can be inserted into a retaining recess of the slide; it is laterally guided therein and to prevent same from being extracted, it is held by the engaging arm which, by means of its end face, is supported against a sup-porting face in the region of the recess of the slide. The free end of the spring arm forms a retaining face and a set-ting face. To achieve this, it is proposed that the free end of the spring arm, by being angled several times, forms the retaining face and the setting face. Alternatively, it is pro-posed that the free end of the spring arm, by means of a rolled-in portion, forms the retaining face and the setting face.
Furthermore, it is proposed that the first housing portion, towards the intermediate portion to which the locking arm is integrally connected, is provided with a seat portion for receiving a seal, which seat portion comprises a reduced cross-section.